Are you gripping the club too tightly?

Is your gear telling you that you're gripping the golf club too tightly? Here's how to tell...

Take the three clubs you use the most out of your bag, and examine the grip closely. Do you see any signs of wear?

I don't mean the general shininess that comes with use (ideally the regular player needs to change their grips once a year - see why here)

Look beyond that to see if there are any zones that are actually abraded. It's important you watch out for these, because they are a clear sign you are gripping the club too tightly.

Gripping too tightly spells problems because it creates tension in your hands, wrists and arms. This stops the club hingeing and swinging freely, robbing your action of rhythm, sequencing and ultimately, power.

Top Tip: Glove is blind

Another visual clue to tension is the colour of your knuckles; they need to be the same colour as the rest of your hand, not white. Unfortunately your glove obscures your perception of this, so hit a few drives with it off; just before you take the club away, check the knuckle colour of both hands.

How To Soften Your Grip

Hold your driver in front of you allowing your triceps to soften. Work the head to describe a large letter 'O' in front of you. You should feel both wrists hinge at various points. Slowly speed up; the speed that gets the club moving fastest while retianing control represents ideal grip pressure.